Commutator



I. T. LEAGER.

COMMUTATOR. I APPLICATION FILED APR-28. I919- RENEWED SEPT. 24, 1920.

1,371,697. Patented Mar. 15,1921.

I I N\N1| UNITED STATES Parent- IRA T. LEAGER, OF RIDG-ELZ, MARYLAND.

COMMUTATOB.

To all whom it may concern:

zen of the United States, residing at Ridgely,

in the county of Caroline and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Commutators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved com- 'mutator for internal combustion engines and more partic'ularl to acommutator for engines of the For type, the invention having as'one .of its principal objects to provide a device of this character wherein the circuit wires leading to the commutator as well as the connections between the circuit wires and the contacts of the commutator will be prevented from becoming oil soaked and covered with grease and dirt.

A further object of the invention is to provide a commutator wherein the connections between the circuit wires and the contacts of the commutator will all be housed within the commutator cap but wherein the cap may be easily removed so as to permit access to said connections.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide an improved type of commutator contact.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation showing my improved commutator in position upon an engine of the Ford type,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken centrally through the device,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective-view showing a portion of the commutator shell and insulating plate,

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view showing the type of commutator Contact employed, and v Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a slightly modified form of contact.

Referrin now more particularly to the drawings, have shown my improved commutator in connection with an engine 10 of the Ford type. This engine is provided with the usual timing'gear case 11 which is formed in its forward side with an opening surrounded by an annular flange 12. Pro jecting through the timing gear case is the forward end of the cam shaft 13 of the engine. Coming now more particularly to the subject of the present invention, I employ an annular commutator shell or body 14.- This shell removably fits within the flange Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mimi. 15, 1921. Application filed April 28, 1919, Serial No. 293,217.

Renewed September 24:, 1920. Serial No. 412,614.

12 and fixed within the shell at its outer end is a plate 15 of insulating material secured by a plurality of radially disposed screws or other suitable fastening devices 16 engaged through the shell and threaded into the peripheral margin of the plate. The plate may be formed of fiber or other approved insulation and is provided centrally with an opening 17 surroundin the-forward end of the cam shaft l3.- hfounted upon this plate and insulated with respect to each other thereby is a plurality of contacts 18, being fourvin number to correspond to the number of cylinders of the engine. One of these contacts is shown in detail in Fig. 4 and, as there illustrated, the contacts each comprise an arcuate contact plate preferably struck on an arc concentric to the axis of the shaft 13 and provided at one end with a reduced portion which is bent laterally at substantially right angles to define a forked or slotted contact post 19. The plates of the contacts are, as particularly illustrated in Fig. 2, countersunk in' the inner side face of the plate 15 while the binding posts 19 extend through the plate so that the forked outer ends thereof project into recesses 20 in the front face of the plate, the binding posts serving to rigidly secure the contacts upon the plate. In this connection it will, of course, be understoodthat the contacts are arranged in concentric relation to the shaft 13 and at equally spaced points about the insulating plate. At its periphery, the insulating plate is cut away, for a portion of its width to define an annular channel and snugly fitting within the commutator shell to engage at its inner end within this channel is a cap 21. As will be seen, this constructioirprovidcs an arrangement whereby in practical use, water which may beat in against the commutator will first be directed i by the flange 12 of the timing gear case onto the commutator shell when the shell will, since said shell overhangs the margin of the cap at its inner end, direct the water onto the exterior surface of the cap 'so'that the water will be effectually prevented .from

finding its way into the commutator to cause trouble. The cap is' substantially frustoconical in general contour and at its apex is formed with a socket 212 in which is engaged the free end of the usual spring arm 23 commonly found upon theFord type of.

motor, this arm acting to removably hold the cap engaged with the commutator shell.

Extending radially from the cap at one side thereof and adjacent its inner end, isan arm 24 to which is connected in the usual manner, the customary pull rod operable for rotating the commutator to advance or retard the time of firing of the engine cylinders. Embedded in the plate at opposite sides thereof are, as particularly shown in Fig. 3, pins 25. At its inner end, thecap is slotted to freely receive these pins and, as will be observed, the pins are staggered with respect to each other so that the cap can be fitted upon the shell only in proper position with respect thereto.

Mounted uponthe forward end of the' cam shaft 13 is an arm 26 provided at its inner end with a sleeve 27 fixed to the shaft by a cotter-pin 28 engaged in oppositenotches in the forward end of the sleeve. At its outer end the arm is formed with a socket 29 in which is freely engaged a spring pressed contact brush 30 adapted to cooperate with the contacts 18. Fitting over the outer end of the shaft 13 is a cap 31 overlying the forward margin'of the sleeve 27 and threaded upon said shaft is a nut 32 binding the cap in position.

' Leading into the cap 21 of the commutator is a metal sheathed cable 33. At its forward end this cable is'fitted through a suitable opening in the lower side of the cap and is thus fixed to the cap. The cable carries the circuit wires iii-leading to the .commutatorl At their adjacent ends these wires are inserted in the slots in the ,outerends of the binding posts '19 when the forks of said posts are bent about the Wires to firmly impinge thereagainst and securely connect the wires with the posts. As Wlll be appreciated, I thus provide a very advantageous typeof contact since the contact and its binding post may be readily formed from a single piece of material while provision is made for effectively connecting, without the use of separate fastening devices, acircuit wire with the binding post. Furthermore, by employing a contact of such type, the insulating plate 15 may be of minimum thickness so that the device may accordingly be produced at proportionately reduced cost.

binding posts 19 of the commutator contacts,

the commutator cap may simply be detached from the commutator shell. On the other trated aslightly modified form of commutator contact. In this modification the contact is,like the preferred construction, preferably formed from a single strip of suitable resilient sheet metal. The metal strip is first bent intermediate of its ends to provide a contact plate 35 formed by overlapping the strip upon itself when the end portions of the strip are bent to project laterally from the plate at a point substantially midway of the ends thereof, .mating to. define a hollow binding postv 36, the end portions of the strip being transversely clirved so that the binding pOSt This binding post is inter-} is cylindrical.

nally screw threaded to receive a binding,

screw 37 so that a circuit wire may, as will be readily understood, be easily connected with the contact by said screw. As will be seen, this modified form of contact thus provides a very simple construction and itis believed, in view of the preceding description, I

that the manner in which the modified type of contact is mounted upon the insulatingplate of the commutator will be readily understood.

-Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

'1. A commutator including a shell, an insulating plate therein. provided at its periphery with a groove, a contact mounted upon said plate, and a cap fitting at its inner end within the shell and engaging in said groove.

2. A commutator including a shell, an in sulating plate therein, and a contact mount ed upon the insulating plate and including a contact plate having one end portion there of bent to provide a binding post engaging through the insulating plate andsupporting the contact thereon, the opposite end portion of the contact plate lying at the inner side of the insulating plate to provide a contact surface.

3. A commutator including a shell, an in sulating plate therein, and a contact carried by said insulating-plate and including a contact plate provided at one end with a forked binding post engaged with the insulating plate and supporting the contact thereon, the forks of said post being engageable with a circuit wire for connecting the wire with the post.

4. A commutator including a shell, an insulating plate therein, and a contact mounted upon the plate and including a contact plate bent to provide a laterally directed slotted binding post, the binding post-being 13c engaged with the insulating plate forsupporting the contact thereonvand the slot in said post being adapted to receive a circuit Wire Wherebythe wire may be connected to the post.

5. A commutatorincluding a shell, an insulating plate therein, a contact carried by said plate, and a cap telescoping at its inner end portion within the outer end portion of the shell whereby the shell Will overhang the 10 cap at the joint therebetween for directing moisture away from said joint exteriorly of the cap and shell.

In testimony whereof I 'aflix my signature.

IRA T. LEAGER. [1,. 5. 

